Workplace Safety: Do Your Workers Know All the Safety Procedures?

You’re committed to safety. You have devised precise policies for every situation, making sure every action is as safe as possible. But are you sure those protocols are getting enacted on a daily basis? Do your workers know all the safety procedures that you set up?

A strong commitment to safety training reduces accidents and lowers costs. One study of more than 2,300 companies showed that safety training has a real impact on days-away-from-work incidents. The effects were particularly pronounced in smaller firms.

Training is only one step in the process, though. You can have the best safety protocols imaginable…but if no one follows them, they don’t do any good. Initial training provides a good base, but you have to go further.

That’s what we’re talking about here. It’s about ensuring that everyone on your staff knows what to do to minimize accidents. Here are some steps to take that will guarantee that your workers know all the safety protocols:

Schedule Training Refreshers

Getting your employees familiar with your safety procedures require a comprehensive training program. When they’re hired, you let them know what’s expected of them. However, that’s only Stage One. This commitment to training should continue throughout their tenure with the company.

Invest in an ongoing training program. Regular reminders will help reinforce the most important safety protocols. At the same time, you create a structure to make constant improvements over time.

Give Micro Updates

It’s hard to absorb large chunks of information all at once. If you dump new safety protocols on employees in one giant announcement, something will get missed. The information will become overwhelming.

Instead, whenever possible, ration out new information in digestible bites. The best practice is to put new programs in place and then wait until your workers have fully internalized the instructions. Then you can move on to other priorities.

Provide Online Resources

Let your workers research safety on their own time. They may have questions, but feel too embarrassed to ask in person. Or they might think of a concern when they are at home and forget to discuss it by their next shift.

Supplying online resources helps reinforce your safety programs. A comprehensive FAQ will provide an efficient source of additional information. The platform also allows you to set up a process for receiving anonymous feedback. This will let you further fine-tune your safety procedures.

Live Safety Everyday

Safety is high on any company’s priority list. However, it’s rarely alone at the top. You also have to worry about maximizing production and minimizing costs. These goals can come into conflict with your safety objectives.

Your workers will note how you manage this friction. If you downplay safety to boost production, they’ll take the hint. With this example, your employees will also sacrifice safety compliance to push out additional products.

Don’t fall into this trap. Don’t design elaborate safety procedures just to ignore them in practice so that you can boost output. If you implement a protocol, make sure it gets followed each time. In that way, your workers will learn to live safety every single day.

Ready to upgrade your safety profile? That takes the right kind of workforce. By using a strong recruiting agency, like SmartTalent, you find the right workers for you.

Contact SmartTalent today to learn more.